The present invention is directed to exercise machines, and more particularly to exercise machines in which a user moves the machine into position for use while seated, with accessories facilitating the movement and operation from the seated position.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,936,573 issued Jun. 26, 1990 to the applicant discloses an exercise machine for elderly or handicapped people. The disclosure and drawings of that patent are hereby incorporated in this application by reference. It provides separately adjustable left and right side mechanisms. Each side includes a hand operated lever to a movable foot pedal, with an adjustable friction mechanism to vary the resistance to motion. The machine is operated by a user seated before the machine in a chair, on a bed or other suitable seating arrangement. This overcomes problems associated with mounting conventional exercise machines which may be awkward, dangerous, or impossible for certain elderly or incapacitated users. The machine is wheeled to the chair by lifting up one end so that the weight of the machine is borne by a pair of wheels at another end. Then the user is seated and the machine pulled up close enough so that the operator can comfortably rest feet on the pedals. The hand levers are height adjusted for convenient reaching and exercise begins by moving the hand levers back and forth against the adjustable frictional resistance. The height adjustment, alone may not bring the handles close enough for some users.
If the resistance is very great, the back and forth lever motion may move the entire machine back and forth and lift it upward as well.
The machine may be too heavy for a seated user to pull it into proper position for use, especially for a weak or incapacitated operator, without assistance because it does not rest on any wheels when not lifted.